Lost Creek Hollow Kicks and Bricks

@Crowfeather only when you have time darling. She is near the borders, but not at the borders.

Ash Paw had left BDP behind her, not for long, just to move around. It was slow going and it ached at times. So she took many breaks and stops. It was with these movements that she kept going. She made it to the edge of a territory and backed up away from the borders. 

She found a quiet tree and lay down. Her sides large and heavy. The movements of her babes slight and weak stirring against the side. She panted softly. She would get up and go back down to BDP.

Crowfeather had taken to patrolling their borders. His mind buzzed with thoughts of the springtime and the budding flowers that might appear from beneath the snow. The young shadow missed the warmth of summer. He longed to stretch himself out in the sunlight and nap a few hours away.

The bite of winter was a reminder that they had several months before the snow would melt.

Hunching at the cold breeze, Crowfeather lifted his eyes to see an unfamiliar woman who had made a place beneath a tree. Nervousness washed through him. He thought of the dark woman he’d met in the hollow, of her confusing words. Knowing that he could not let his fearfulness dissuade him from protecting his home, the tripod stepped toward her tentatively.

Are you alright? his quavering voice asked of her.

Unfamiliar wolf came near her. His scent was one of the ones that had been prominent on the borders in front of her. He walked well for a wolf with three legs, and healers gaze looked over it. And then back to his face. He was near her age, maybe a little younger she'd guess.

Cold wind bit through her fur and traced it's cold fingers along her spine. She shivered and shifted. Calico nodded and she bent her head for a moment. 

I'm fine. I needed a break. These babes keep moving all around.

She blinked blue eyes at him. :I'm Ash Paw.::

How foolish he had been! Crowfeather blushed hot beneath his dark fur. He hadn’t considered that this woman might have carried children. Now that he looked her over, he realized that it was obvious.

A sudden thought cast worry upon his features.

She introduced herself as Ash Paw. The tripod’s honey eyes softened, recalling his home. He wondered if she had come from a place like the Starsea. He wondered if he had found someone like him. She was grown, of course. She could have been given the name when she had not yet been an adult. The boy thought back to his days as Crowpaw, a nervous and babbling young thing.

I- I’m Crowfeather. It’s nice to meet you, Ash Paw, he offered her in a soft voice.

Before he could stop himself, the three-legged wolf canted his head and asked, are you all alone?

Ash Paw didn't expect many to know the signs and sights of pregnancy. After all some were not brought up around it. She hadn't been really either, but she had been told of them of course.

Ash Paw had been given by her father, her entire family had strange names of the ilk. WHere her grandmother had brought them even she didn't know.

A shift in her weight a small smile to his greet. I wasn't. I have friends, but the pack I was upon disbanded. The wolves are headed towards a place called Akashingo. I imagine there will not be place for me there with little ones in my womb. So for now. Yes I am.

Akashingo is not a good place… 

It was clear on the shadow’s face that he had firsthand experience with the mesa. To know that her wolves were going there to seek a home was saddening. Crowfeather did not know what their future might look like, beneath the sharp stare of the Pharaoh. 

I- I have a clan. Here, he said gesturing toward the hollow. His home. Crowfeather loved their hollow. He found Riverclan was like a place of healing, for him. And we don’t have anyone with pups. So- So if you want a place to stay…

Ash Paw frowned in thought. She had met two wolves from Akashingo. Two different temperaments, two different personalities and she found she couldn't believe this, even if she hadn't met more or went there.

And his face was readable. It was not a good place. She looked at his leg and back to his face. Was that where he had lost his leg. That made her stomach roll a little.

Do you have need of a healer and spiritualist? Those are the trades I carry.

Crowfeather brightened. 

We love healers! We have a few. And- Well, I could teach you how to dream with the stars, maybe. 

The tripod waved his tail, worried that she might not want to join them if she knew they had many healers in their midst. Crowfeather wasn’t bothered by this, though. He liked to know that they had wolves who could help. He liked to know that Riverclan was a place of care and peace, not of war or clashing fangs. 

Ash Paw had asked him if they needed a spiritualist. Crowfeather wondered if she had already had dreams with the stars. His eyes glittered upon her face. 

Can you tell me about your spiritualism?

His face lit up and he looked like a little kid that had just found something sweet. It was cute, and it also made Ash Paw feel a bit protective. She imagined it was the pups that grew inside her that caused this. She was normally not so, caring. Unless you were wounded.

She frowned in thought. Many healers that didn't bode well for her. She could share she imagined with others learn things she didn't know, but it still was strange to her.

Like constellations?

She nodded her head. She could speak all day of spiritualism and the like. I follow the gods Atka and Sos. However, I am well versed in many others. I make it a task to learn as many as I can to help others find what they wish to worship or if they wish to worship.

At her frown, he shrunk. Crowfeather hoped that having many healers wasn’t a deterrent to Ash Paw. It would give her opportunity to work with likeminded wolves, he believed. 

To try to assure her, the tripod fidgeted and then said, we have an alliance with the packs around us. Kvarsheim and Swiftcurrent Creek. The creek has good warriors. Kvarsheim has good traders. We help each other. So… your healing skills will absolutely be important. Would that help ease her unspoken worries? He hoped so, but he could not be certain. 

Ash Paw said that she followed Atka and Sos. The young tripod had never heard these names. He wished to know more, but he feared overwhelming her with a flurry of questions. 

I think you would have a good outlet to teach. I could show you some of my own spiritualism, too. Crowfeather offered her a nervous smile.

Ash Paw saw him shrink and she stood up then, though wobbly. Lifted her head high and tilted it to the side. Her face prideful and haughty. 

Never shrink like that. You are leader yes? Be confident. You should be proud you have made a good home here. I will stay. I have many herbs so it will take me many days to bring everythin ghere, but I will have it all moved before spring. 

Of this she was determined.

She offered him a small smile. I look forward to it. You only follow the stars?

Crowfeather thought his stomach might fall out of him.

I- I can help. I can help you bring your herbs, the tripod offered her. She shouldn’t be making long trips when she had pups growing inside her. Something about that made him giddy. Riverclan would have babies in it. They would have young mouths to feed and to teach. He hoped that Ash Paw would stay with them. He hoped that she would see the beauty of the hollow and would never want to leave. Crowfeather thought that he could give her children a good home with love and care around all sides.

Come and I will show you where we dream with them, the dark figure offered a weak smile to her and motioned with his muzzle. The cave of stars was a beautiful thing. She would surely be enchanted. They will give dreams to us to help us. Crowfeather had not dreamed with the stars for a long time, though.

He looked a litle green around the gills. She had to admit, he was fun to tease. So different than Ingram who she had also liked to tease.

Very well I will accept help. I have many. When we moved to the plateau I found gardens that had been choked with weeks, but still had many plants. It was beautiful. If i can I will do that here. Large gardens full of plants.

She motioned for him to lead the way and though she was lopsided and wonky she moved with determination then. It would be nice to see this place of stars he spoke of.

Lead he did. The dark figure was proud of the hollow they had turned into a home.

The teasing offered by Ash Paw was nothing compared to the torment he had endured in the Starsea. She was softer than anything he had experienced. The words she spoke to him were forward. Crowfeather didn’t believe there was anything wrong with directness.

We can get to know each other, he suggested after listening to her speak. The dark figure thought it was a great opportunity to learn more about Ash Paw as they carried her herbs to the stocking areas within Riverclan.

She followed as best she could, though. She did have to stop now and again as she sounded like a bellows, her sides advertising wide load.

what would you like to know? there was wariness and weariness in her voice. Unsure how much more of herself she had to give to others. She had given and lost so much recently.

What’s your favorite thing to eat? I’d like to try and catch something for you.

Crowfeather thought it was best to have her favorite stocked. She was carrying pups. He had little expectations for her to restock caches or keep to patrolling the borders. The dark Star believed that she should learn her new home and rest. The life she carried inside her would need all of her strength.

Some part of him envied her ability to have pups. He wondered where that came from. He did not dare dig deeper into the thought.

And then what’s the worst thing you’ve ever eaten? he asked next with a small laugh.

Ash Paw smiled. Rabbit. I like rabbit. She liked other things too, but she wanted rabbit all the time right now. For ever meal. It was absolutely annoying if she was honest. She wondered if when this was all said and done if she would hate it then.

She liked how nice this wolf was. He was kind and sweet. And he made her smile.

hmmm. Squid. Squishy, tentacly thing. Granted it had washed ashore, or i wouldn't have eaten it.

That’s a great pick, he complimented her in his light voice. Crowfeather was also fond of rabbit. He had been fond of chasing them, when he had been young and learning how to hunt. Rabbits and weasels were the most surprising prey. He thought that they had the best taste, when captured.

Ash Paw surprised him with her next answer. She didn’t like squid. One had washed onto the shore and she’d taken a risk at eating it. His honeygold eyes were wide on her. The tripod had never tasted a squid from the ocean before. He wondered if they tasted anything like the fish that could be caught in the streams, or the crabs he had cracked open when he had visited the beach.

I can be sure to get you plenty of rabbit. Maybe your pups will grow to like it as much as you do, Crowfeather suggested. He thought it would be nice for a family to share meals together.

She gave a soft chuckle. I like to think my tastes are great. But yes it is good. I am also partial to venison, but it is had to catch a deer with only one wolf, and my former pack Basilica wasn't around long enough to hunt any.

She wrinkled her nose at the memory of the squid. Have you ever tasted the sea? How it's salty and a bit tangy and you can never quench your thirst? Speaking of it's quite good for cleaning wounds, in a pinch as long as an antiseptic is added later, but. Anyway, squid tastes a bit like the sea, it's salty, but also has a very strange consistency it's almost as if you could chew and chew and hardly break through the skin until finally you do.

Thank you.

Crowfeather was delighted to learn something from Ash Paw. He’d never tasted the prey from the ocean. He had seen the rough waters and lapping waves, though. They always made him feel small. He could recall many childhood days spent wondering what kind of beasts lived beneath the dark waves.

She described the saltiness of squid. Ash Paw said that it had a peculiar texture. She even offered a small description of her experience with it. Crowfeather’s nose scrunched. He couldn’t imagine liking something that felt squishy, endlessly chewy, or salty. He wasn’t particularly adventurous with his eating habits, either. Maybe one day, if he was given the chance to try squid.

It sounds strange. I don't know if I'd be brave enough to try it.

I would like to have a hunt when the weather gets warmer. We have some allies with the other clans, he explained. I think they would be open to a hunt. Deer is one of my favorites, too. The shadow realized that he hadn’t hunted deer since he had lost his foot.

Ash Paw had heard enough stories from Thistle and Gunnar even of the dark things that lived in the waves. Of the sharks with dead eyes. Of the black and white things that could attack you. Of the seals that were harsh in their noises and cruel with their teeth. That could walk both sea and land.

She giggled and patted his shoulder. You'd be surprise how brave you can truly be. I think you worry too much about not being brave rather than just being who you are. It takes all kinds to make a world, and a village.

She listened and smiled. That sounds fun. It sounds as if you and Silvertongue have done well to make a thriving place.